


And While I Wasn't Looking (you became loveable)

by baka_tsumibito



Series: The Ways in Which We Realized What We Needed (it was you) [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: "Ready-set-go!", Absence makes the heart grow fonder., Cannon compliant, Combined prompts, Day 2: Departures, Day 5: Don't go where I can't follow, Day 6: Flight, Day 7: Take your marks!, Day FINAL: Eternal, I've always admired you, International swim meets, Like the oceans that connect us, Like the thread that ties us, M/M, Ongoing fanfic, Post Season 2, The Sky I Want To Find, What sort of sight are you seeing now?, You Could Have Called, day 3: reunion, everything went dark, letters that were for you, lift your head and look
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2699438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baka_tsumibito/pseuds/baka_tsumibito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Days: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & Closing Ceremonies</p><p> </p><p>Rin and Haru are in the midst of an awkward long-distance relationship. Sort of.<br/>(Maybe not)</p><p>It takes two halves to make a whole, but the question remains: is it the physical distance, or their inability to convey feelings that does them the most harm?</p>
            </blockquote>





	And While I Wasn't Looking (you became loveable)

**Author's Note:**

> Not as planned, but this has turned into a multi-chaptered work. Therefore, certain prompts/themes will not appear immediately, but rest assured they will be covered.
> 
> (It's tough, covering most of the prompts in one day, but I had an idea that I want to follow through...sorry for the delay though.)
> 
> I'll do my best to live up to part 1!

 

_What sort of sight are you seeing now_

_Rin?_

 

* * *

 

It’s only been 37 days since Rin returned to Australia.

 

Only 37.

 

Haru has to tell himself this every morning, a constant reminder that it’s been hardly over five weeks since they’ve parted, since he’d lost control and kissed Rin at one of the worst moments possible—

 

(but Rin would probably look back and call it _romantic_ , so that was that.)

 

Nevertheless, it’s difficult to be separated like this. The water doesn’t feel the same, and even if all Haru wants to do is swim—

 

 _It’s still not enough_.

 

He knows that he hasn’t been left behind. It’s not like that, after all, Rin had gone to Australia with the sole aim of redeeming himself.

 

Plus…

 

 

“ _If you’re not there, I have nothing to aim for, you know?”_

 

 

There was always that.

 

* * *

 

 

Haru picks up his phone.

 

39 days later, and he’s heard nothing.

 

* * *

 

 

This radio silence is too much, so Haru decides to end it now.

 

 _Since when has he been the first one to call_? Haru’s not really an initiator-type –- he’d much rather be forced into responding.

 

But Haru doesn’t want them to break apart because of something so trivial as “I wanted you to call me _first_.” If Rin is being stupid, well, Haru’s going to remedy that.

 

(And hopefully never have to dial an Australian phone number again.)

 

* * *

 

 

“…. you have reached the voice mail account of – _Rin Matsuoka_ \--. Please leave your name and number after the tone. _Beep_.”

 

The message is in English, and Haru feels quite clueless. It’s just a message, he tells himself, and speaks up.

 

“Rin.” Haru falters, unsure of what to say. How can he tell Rin that he misses him, without saying as much? It’s not something he can blurt out just like that, especially over a recording (where Rin can listen to it as much as he wants…)

 

Before he knows it, the silence has stretched on for six seconds, and Haru realizes that if he doesn’t say something soon, the allotted time will end, and he’ll have to call again.

 

He scrambles to find something, _anything_ , words that will convey his anger and loneliness and frustration at their lack of communication—

 

 

 _Beep_.

 

A phone dial signifies the end of the message, and Haru drops his phone.

 

Why does it have to be so hard?

 

It’s only a few words, just a short phrase, something to make Rin understand that he _wants_ to talk to him, and it’s been way too long. He has to try again, because simply saying “Rin” isn’t going to cut it, isn’t going to get him a response he longs for.

 

With shaking hands, Haru reaches out to grab the phone, and his sweaty fingers glide along to the redial button. It takes him one, two, three tries to press it down correctly.

 

Haru brings the phone back up to his ear, and waits. Waits for Rin’s voice to come on the line, tired but apologetic, to reassure him that he remembers him and misses him too--

 

“…you have reached the voice mail…”

 

\-- waits for the message prompt to come back on.

 

Haru hastily presses the call _off_ button. His mind is blank, he can’t leave another message in this state.

 

* * *

 

By the time Haru goes to sleep, exhausted, he’s called Rin four more times, and has left a grand total of 0 new messages.

 

* * *

 

 

_*bzzzzzz*       *bzzzzzzz*_

 

Haru wakes up to his phone, vibrating on his pillow right next to his head.

 

It takes a second for his mind to wake up – for everything to click – and Haru scrambles for his phone the second he realizes Rin is _calling him back_.

 

He doesn’t check the time, just presses ‘talk’, and brings the phone up to his ear.

 

“…”

 

“….Haru? Are you there?”

 

It’s his voice, resonating through the tinny speakerphone of Haru’s phone, but it’s the first Haru has heard from him in 40 days.

 

For once, _it’s enough_.

 

“Rin…”

 

“Hey, Haru.”

 

“…”

 

Neither of them speaks.

 

“I-I wasn’t expecting you to call—”       “Why haven’t you called—”

 

Rin stutters, and Haru stops, hoping for an explanation.

 

( _Of course, it’s so much like them to_

           Not say anything at all

_and then_

          Let everything out at once)

 

Suddenly, Haru is reminded of their kiss, and wants to throw his phone down, out, across the room, anywhere out of sight so that he doesn't have to talk to Rin right in this moment. 

 

(He'd forgotten, but he needs even more _time_ to come to understand this change, the inevitable shift in their relationship following his impulsive actions forty days ago.)

 

Except that's never a possibility. 

 

"I miss you," Rin whispers, and Haru is taken aback, because as much as it's been implied, Rin has never outright told Haru he misses him. 

 

Maybe being a plane ride away is proving to be less harmful than Haru had initially perceived.

 

(After all, not only Rin's heart can attempt to beat its way out of its owner's chest.)

 

Haru also forgets he has to answer, and it's only with Rin's vulnerable-sounding "Are you there? Haru?" that he snaps back to reality. 

 

"Yes." With his usual deadpan tone, Rin probably won't be able to tell how affected he is in this moment. Sure enough, Rin scowls audibly and tells him off a second later. 

 

Strangely, it's all worth it to regain normalcy for just a second, even after admitting to himself that the accelerating pace of his heart is acceptable when it comes to Rin outside of racing him in the pool. 

 

Haru can't help the slight smile that appears, but he doesn't allow it to seep into his voice. 

 

"I'm the one who called you earlier," Haru reminds him. 

 

And he lays back, contentedly listening to Rin's silence while he struggles to remember their earlier conversation, and subsequent embarrassment. 

 

The only want he has now is to see the sight that is the frantic mess that is Rin's face as he stutters his way through telling Haru off while simultaneously apologizing for not contacting him sooner (and did he say _letters_?)

 

...

To be continued


End file.
